Dr. Oz Does The Hadacol Boogie

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. Come hear the tale of the world’s foremost miracle worker, The Incredible Dr. Oz.

While it’s maybe a little hyperbolic to call Mehmet Oz a snake oil salesman, he really is the modern day equivalent. He has an almost unheard of level of customer engagement, and a product mention on his daily syndicated TV show basically guarantees a gigantic sales bump.

Amy Chiaro, an executive producer on the show, told Forbes Magazine that after the Neti Pot made an appearance, its sales rose by 12,000%. Internet searches for it rose by 42,000%.

Dr. Edzard Ernst, criticizing Oz’s promotion of Garcinia Cambosia had this to say:

“Dr. Oz’s promotion of this and other unproven or disproven alternative treatments is irresponsible and borders on quackery.”

Of course, the lovable Dr. Oz isn’t the first guy to become a pitchman for bogus supplements. There’s a long, storied tradition of dubious medicine shows in this country.

As old time medicine shows gave way to a more corporate form of hustle, bunk products like Geritol and Hadacol became household names, if only for a little while.

Senator Dudley Leblanc, inventor of Hadacol.

This week, we’ll cover everything from Hopi pharmacists to Louisiana Senators, from green coffee beans to inappropriate toothpaste applications. This week’s episode may even be the miracle body fat buster you’ve been waiting for.